Calendar of Events

Included with admission

Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.

Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.

Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!

Join us on a journey into the world of butterflies and plants, and see the complex relationship between monarchs and milkweed. “Monarchs and Milkweed” explores how very survival of these majestic creatures has been shaped over time by one another, traveling through the seasons of a calendar year and revealing how both insect and plant grow and interact, culminating in a massive migration that crosses a continent.

STATIONARY FUN – Creekside play area has a treehouse and wee slide ➤ The Big Barn has our Sound Silo full of instruments to play on and make noise, trikes on the trike track around a REAL tractor and cornhole boards(ask the staff for bags) ➤ On the grassy slope behind the Big Barn we’ve got our famous and fast culvert tunnel slides for all ages, hammocks on the hill and tetherball!

Availability: All stationary fun is available every day during business hours of 10-5, starting September 2nd, through the rest of the season- tetherball will be back in action starting September 6th!

ANIMALS TO SEE – We will have a brooder house full of chicks in various ages and stages all season, there will typically be mama pigs and piglets in agritourism pens on the hill, more rarely there will be grazing cattle in a nearby field.

FOOD TRUCK SCHEDULE

9/2 Sat  11-4 Fern Leaf CCS Food Truck

9/16 Sat 11-4 Milk & Honey Food Truck – they will be serving HNG beef for their all-American burger!

9/24 Sun 11-4 *Big Barn Market* Root Down Farm Food Truck

9/30 Sat 11-4 Milk & Honey Food Truck

10/7 Sat 11-4 Fern Leaf CCS Food Truck

10/14 Sat 11-4 Milk & Honey Food Truck

10/15 Sun 11-4 El Bodegon Food Truck

10/22 Sun 11-4 El Bodegon Food Truck

10/29 Sun 11-4 *Big Barn Market* Grush’s Cajun Dino Grill Food Truck

11/4 Sat 11-4 Fern Leaf CCS Food Truck

FALL SEASONAL OFFERINGS

APPLES – Our partners in Edneyville, NC, Lyda Farms, bring some of the best in the region. Local and low spray, folks come every year to get the best of fall in NC by the bag to bake, stew, butter, sauce and of course, crunch into while sitting on the farm.

Availability: Apples will be available to buy starting September 9th, they will typically run out Mid to late October.

FRESH PRESSED CIDER – We press fresh apple cider every year, comprised of our historical orchard apples on the Old Sherrill’s Inn property and apples from our partner Lyda Farms. This is a raw, unpasteurized product – delicious and changeable as the season, no added sugar or seasonings.

Availability: 1st pressing September 13th, bottled cider will be in the store for purchase September 14th!

JACKOLANTERN PUMPKINS – We work with several WNC veggie farmers in the area, including Hawkins Farms. We’ll have pumpkins arranged all around the Farm Store to display their beauty AND make sure you get *just the right one*. The seeds are dynamite when roasted, too…

Availability: Coming Mid-September, they will typically run out by end of October so make sure you get yours! 

EDIBLE SQUASH & DECORATIVE GOURDS – From Mr. Anthony Cole’s farms, we have some long-lasting festive gourds to decoarate for the season, and a broad variety of edible squashes and pumpkins perfect for pies, soups and pasta.

Availability: Coming Mid-September.

HAYRIDES – Brought to you by Project HNG our sister nonprofit! Proceeds go to Project HNG. Suitable for all ages, babies in arms are free, 16 people per ride.

Availability: every Saturday & Sunday starting September 2nd through November 11th. 11am-4pm, last ride goes out at 3:30pm. May be cancelled due to tremendous weather conditions.

PONY RIDES – Brought to you by Project HNG our sister nonprofit! Proceeds go to Project HNG. Suitable for young children, supervision and helmets provided. If you’re interested in riding lessons or trail rides please reach out to [email protected]

Availability: every Saturday & Sunday starting September 2nd through November 11th. 11am-3pm. May be cancelled due to tremendous weather conditions

Maddy Winer & Masterpiece – Jazz at Souther Williams Vineyard. 2-5pm, Maddy & Masterpiece entertained guests for many years
at the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa with their wide variety of musical styles and unique interpretation of the Great American
Songbook. Maddy Winer expands the Songbook to include every style & era of music…Oldies, Beach, Big Band and, of course,
lots of jazz! Free, https://southerwilliams.com

Step into a world of magic, mystery, and self-discovery with the Tony Award-winning musical, Pippin. This Broadway classic, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson, tells the captivating story of a young prince on a daring quest for the ultimate meaning of life and fulfillment. From spectacular circus-inspired performances to stirring, emotionally-charged songs, “Pippin” unfolds as an exploration of the highs and lows of glory, love, and ambition. It’s a compelling narrative that continually asks one poignant question: is it more rewarding to live a simple life or to persist in relentlessly pursuing extraordinary feats? With its rich, allegorical storyline and memorable melodies, Pippin promises to enchant audiences, leaving them musing long after the final curtain call.

A talkback with the cast & crew of Pippin will be held following the performances on September 17th & 24th.

Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session 

Sundays

1 till who knows when?

Traditional Irish music is kept alive at Jack of the Wood with our unplugged Sunday session.

Jack of the Wood

95 Patton ave

Asheville, NC 28801

(828) 252.5445

http://www.jackofthewood.com/

Gary Malvern, conductor
Bronwen Forbay, soprano
Keith Jameson, tenor
Bruce Schoonmaker, baritone

A smorgasbord of some of the most virtuosic works composed for the human voice, this experience is composed of arias that are quite simply Olympic feats of singing.  Come and wonder at the impossible beauty of these works by Monteverdi, Handel and Mozart, including an aria from his iconic character the Queen of the Night, have a good laugh at Figaro’s expense in Rossini’s Largo from The Barber of Seville, hear operetta and even some selections from the golden age of Broadway.  This is an hour of operatic goodness you won’t want to miss.  And the crazy thing is, they make it look easy!

Gary Malvern, professor of music at Furman University, is a native of Buffalo, New York. He received a bachelor’s degree in performance and music history from Oberlin College Conservatory, and a master’s and doctoral degrees from Yale University. Dr. Malvern has served as principal trumpet of the National Repertory Orchestra and the American Wind Symphony, and he served for 25 years as principal trumpet of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra.  Malvern has been artist in residence at universities in Western Australia, and at conservatories in Northern Italy. Dr. Malvern frequently records for Nuovo Musiche per Tromba (New Music for Trumpet).

Dr. Malvern was the recipient of Furman’s Meritorious Teaching Award in 1999.

Bronwen Forbay
Hailed by Opera Magazine as “At once powerful, radiant, timbrally beautiful, and balanced throughout the range, her soprano is that of a singer at the top of her game”, South African-born Fulbrighter BRONWEN FORBAY’s operatic successes include critically acclaimed performances of Mozart’s Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute) with the Wolf Trap Opera Company, Eugene Opera, and Tulsa Opera. Other celebrated roles include Orasia, Queen of Thrace (US premier of Telemann’s Orpheus), Velmyra (Wading Home) by Mary Alice Rich, Violetta (La Traviata), and the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Cape Town Opera. A Visiting Associate Professor of Voice at Furman University, Dr. Forbay holds degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Manhattan School of Music, Southern Methodist University, and

Keith Jameson has enjoyed a 28-year career as a professional opera and concert singer. He has been heard nationally at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, The Santa Fe Opera; and internationally with opera companies in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Brazil, England, and Japan. He can be seen in Carmen and Falstaff, on DVD with the Metropolitan Opera, and heard with Boston Baroque in Haydn’s The Creation and Lord Nelson Mass, on CD. He is a graduate of Furman University and the Eastman School of Music.

Bruce Schoonmaker
A native of Charlotte, N.C., Bruce Schoonmaker has performed in operas, recitals, and with orchestras and choruses in the USA, France, Italy, Australia and Japan. His combination of vocalism and dramatic ability has endeared him to audiences of the Charlotte Symphony, Columbia Lyric Opera, Brevard Music Festival, Opera Carolina, and the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte. Last October he sang the baritone solos in a rousing performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Greenville Chorale and Greenville Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bing Vick.

While a student at Northwestern University, he won the Bel Canto Competition and studied with Tito Gobbi at the Tito Gobbi Opera Workshop in Florence, Italy.  A few years later, he studied with Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Tebaldi at the Bel Canto Seminar in Verdi’s hometown, Busseto, Italy. He made his New York City debut with the New York City Chamber Orchestra, as soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.

Schoonmaker taught voice and directed opera at Furman University until 2018 and now resides, performs, and teaches in Richmond, Virginia.

This is NOT a trap. The Asheville Symphony is proud to present a Star Wars themed program with Beer City Comic Con. Journey to a galaxy far, far away and experience your favorite musical moments from the Battle of Hoth to the Death Star run, exploring themes from Hoth, Tatooine, Mustafar, Coruscant and every planet in between. May the force be with us as we bring iconic Star Wars moments to life in the only way they should be: with thunderous applause.
Darko Butorac, conductor

Join us for Black Mountain’s original Sunday Jam! Hosted by Spiro and Friends, this jam features original jams and favorite covers. Bring your instrument! Sign-ups at the stage starting at 6 PM!

Pisgah Beer, Gluten Free and N/A options available. Family and dog friendly venue.

The taproom is open from 2:00 to 9:00 PM with music beginning at 6:30 PM.

Included with admission

Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.

Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.

Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!

Join us on a journey into the world of butterflies and plants, and see the complex relationship between monarchs and milkweed. “Monarchs and Milkweed” explores how very survival of these majestic creatures has been shaped over time by one another, traveling through the seasons of a calendar year and revealing how both insect and plant grow and interact, culminating in a massive migration that crosses a continent.

Included with admission

Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.

Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.

Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!

Join us on a journey into the world of butterflies and plants, and see the complex relationship between monarchs and milkweed. “Monarchs and Milkweed” explores how very survival of these majestic creatures has been shaped over time by one another, traveling through the seasons of a calendar year and revealing how both insect and plant grow and interact, culminating in a massive migration that crosses a continent.

Hit the trails and learn more about The North Carolina Arboretum’s botanically diverse forest with a guided trail walk! April through October, this free hiking program is led by trained volunteer guides who take small groups of participants along woodland trails and through a variety of forest types. Depending on the season and each guide’s area of expertise, topics of discussion may include wildflowers, plant and tree identification, natural history and more.

Guided trail walks are limited to 15 people, including the guide, and are not recommended for guests under 16 years of age. Groups depart from the Baker Visitor Center Lobby on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m..

Walks last 1.5 – 2.5 hours, are approximately one to two miles in length. As this program is held rain or shine, all participants should dress appropriately for the weather.

There is no pre-registration; walks are first-come first served and sign up sheets are located in the Baker Visitors Center.

Walks are FREE; however, donations to The North Carolina Arboretum Society are appreciated. Regular parking fees apply. Arboretum Society Members always park free.

Know Before You Go

• Guided Trail Walks are not recommended for guests under 16 years of age.
• Guided Trail Walks are rain or shine and all participants should be dressed comfortably and for the weather.
• Hikes cover 1-2 miles and last 1.5-2 hours.
• Well-behaved leashed pets are welcome to accompany their owners. In the rare case that a pet is disruptive or negatively impacts the experience, the pet and its owner may be asked to excuse themselves from the guided walk.
• COVID-19 Safety: In order to hear the guide and fully participate in the trail walk, participants will be in close proximity to one another for extended periods of time. While face coverings are not required, participants should use their best judgement to keep themselves and others safe while enjoying the trails. Individuals who are experiencing flu-like symptoms or suspect they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should not participate.
• At this time, no more than 6 spaces may be filled by a single family/group through pre-registration for any one Guided Trail Walk. If additional spaces are available on the day of the Walk, additional members of the family/group may participate. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming larger groups in the future.

LEAF isn’t just for kids! Join us in the Mezzanine while you wait for your youth to finish their class or just to hang out!

Gates open at 5:30pm
All Ages – not recommended for children under 4
RAIN OR SHINE
CLEAR BAGS ONLY

Artistic powerhouses cellist Johannes Moser, “radiant playing” (The Baltimore Sun), and pianist Marc-André Hamelin, praised for his “Near superhuman technical prowess” (New York Times), join forces for a memorable and illuminating duo recital. They perform works by Hamelin himself and Nadia Boulanger, a paragon of 20th century classical music, plus sonatas by Claude Debussy and César Franck, two of the great masterworks of the cello-piano repertoire.

Canadian cellist Johannes Moser won silver at the 2002 International Tchaikovsky Competition and has since had a phenomenal touring career, from soloing with the New York, Los Angeles, and BBC Philharmonics, as well as the orchestras of Chicago, London, Tokyo NHK, and Bayerischen Rundfunks, to chamber appearances with the likes of Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Midori, and Menahem Pressler. He’s also a prolific recording artist and a champion of new music who is heavily involved in commissioning.

Marc-André Hamelin is not only a pianist known worldwide for his unrivaled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique who has performed wide-ranging repertoire in the world’s great halls, he is a well-known composer with more than 30 pieces to his name, including the commissioned work for the 2017 Cliburn Competition (where he was also a juror). His discography spans more than 70 recordings which have earned him 11 Grammy® nominations, seven Juno Awards, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the German Record Critics’ Association.

PROGRAM

Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) 3 Pieces for Cello and Piano

Marc-André Hamelin (b.1961) Four Perspectives for Cello and Piano

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Cello Sonata

— Intermission —

César Franck (1822-1890) Sonata in A major for Cello and Piano

Auditorium seating is reserved.

Included with admission

Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.

Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.

Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!

Join us on a journey into the world of butterflies and plants, and see the complex relationship between monarchs and milkweed. “Monarchs and Milkweed” explores how very survival of these majestic creatures has been shaped over time by one another, traveling through the seasons of a calendar year and revealing how both insect and plant grow and interact, culminating in a massive migration that crosses a continent.

STATIONARY FUN – Creekside play area has a treehouse and wee slide ➤ The Big Barn has our Sound Silo full of instruments to play on and make noise, trikes on the trike track around a REAL tractor and cornhole boards(ask the staff for bags) ➤ On the grassy slope behind the Big Barn we’ve got our famous and fast culvert tunnel slides for all ages, hammocks on the hill and tetherball!

Availability: All stationary fun is available every day during business hours of 10-5, starting September 2nd, through the rest of the season- tetherball will be back in action starting September 6th!

ANIMALS TO SEE – We will have a brooder house full of chicks in various ages and stages all season, there will typically be mama pigs and piglets in agritourism pens on the hill, more rarely there will be grazing cattle in a nearby field.

FOOD TRUCK SCHEDULE

9/2 Sat  11-4 Fern Leaf CCS Food Truck

9/16 Sat 11-4 Milk & Honey Food Truck – they will be serving HNG beef for their all-American burger!

9/24 Sun 11-4 *Big Barn Market* Root Down Farm Food Truck

9/30 Sat 11-4 Milk & Honey Food Truck

10/7 Sat 11-4 Fern Leaf CCS Food Truck

10/14 Sat 11-4 Milk & Honey Food Truck

10/15 Sun 11-4 El Bodegon Food Truck

10/22 Sun 11-4 El Bodegon Food Truck

10/29 Sun 11-4 *Big Barn Market* Grush’s Cajun Dino Grill Food Truck

11/4 Sat 11-4 Fern Leaf CCS Food Truck

FALL SEASONAL OFFERINGS

APPLES – Our partners in Edneyville, NC, Lyda Farms, bring some of the best in the region. Local and low spray, folks come every year to get the best of fall in NC by the bag to bake, stew, butter, sauce and of course, crunch into while sitting on the farm.

Availability: Apples will be available to buy starting September 9th, they will typically run out Mid to late October.

FRESH PRESSED CIDER – We press fresh apple cider every year, comprised of our historical orchard apples on the Old Sherrill’s Inn property and apples from our partner Lyda Farms. This is a raw, unpasteurized product – delicious and changeable as the season, no added sugar or seasonings.

Availability: 1st pressing September 13th, bottled cider will be in the store for purchase September 14th!

JACKOLANTERN PUMPKINS – We work with several WNC veggie farmers in the area, including Hawkins Farms. We’ll have pumpkins arranged all around the Farm Store to display their beauty AND make sure you get *just the right one*. The seeds are dynamite when roasted, too…

Availability: Coming Mid-September, they will typically run out by end of October so make sure you get yours! 

EDIBLE SQUASH & DECORATIVE GOURDS – From Mr. Anthony Cole’s farms, we have some long-lasting festive gourds to decoarate for the season, and a broad variety of edible squashes and pumpkins perfect for pies, soups and pasta.

Availability: Coming Mid-September.